Coercion
by adromir
Summary: After Steve is assaulted in a carpark, he doesn't tell the entire truth about the incident in his official statement in order to protect someone.


**SUMMARY: After Steve is assaulted in a carpark, he doesn't tell the entire truth about the incident in his official statement in order to protect someone.**

**A/N: Muahhahaha! Still no 'Cockrotoa' in sight. Sorry, guys. Anyway, this LOD story takes place after Season 5. I would like to apologize beforehand if you find it to be more than AU. Enjoy. Or not.**

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

DS Steve Arnott had no one else to blame but himself.

The AC-12 officer should have known that in his line of work, the occupational hazard was a lot dodgier than that of a civilian's. He should have been more attentive to his immediate surroundings, and be on full alert of any possible danger.

If he were asked, Steve might have given the excuse for his lack of caution was due to his total absorption while reading the messages on his mobile phone. Head and eyes down, he walked on autopilot towards his service vehicle parked in its usual slot in the basement carpark of his flat. He was not expecting any threats on that particular early Tuesday morning, not until he was already at the door of his silver Volvo S90 and fumbling for the key fob.

Steve didn't know what hit him. Without warning, he was rammed hard from behind. The sudden force slammed him face first against the roof of the Volvo, stunning him into a daze. Before he could react, a sharp object pierced into his right side with excruciating precision. He cried out in agony as he felt the weapon grate against his ribs.

Steve's unknown attacker then leaned close to whisper something into his right ear, making his blood run cold.

"No…" Steve hissed in horror, trying to push the strange man off him with no avail.

"Tell him that," the other man repeated. "His days are numbered. I managed to find you, and I will find him soon. Tell him that, Stevie."

The sharp weapon was instantly yanked out of him and the man's weight disappeared from his back. Whimpering in pain, Steve turned around to see his assailant but the man was already gone. There was nobody else in the car park except for him. No witnesses, and no help.

His knees buckling, Steve slid down to the ground. Sitting with his back against his car, he carefully examined his injury. He stared in wonder at his bloodied hand, realizing that he was bleeding profusely.

"Shit."

Pressing hard against the wound to staunch the blood flow, he blinked through a narrowing vision as he dialed triple nine using his mobile phone, which he surprisingly didn't drop during the entire altercation.

"This is DS Steve Arnott…from AC-12…" he shakily said the moment he got connected to a dispatcher. "I'm reporting an attack…I've been stabbed…"

Amid panting breath, he then gave the dispatcher his exact location.

"I'm bleeding...real bad…need EMT…"

When the dispatcher told him to stay on the line until help arrived, Steve weakly replied, "I'll try…but I'm fading…fast…"

With that, his eyes drifted close and his hand dropped onto his lap, sending the mobile phone clattering a couple feet away. Even from where he sat, the urgent voice of the dispatcher could still be heard, "DS Arnott, are you still there? Can you hear me, sir? Sir? Sir!"

DS Arnott could no longer respond. He was already out cold.

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

DI Kate Fleming managed to refrain herself from running at full tilt down the hospital corridor towards the ICU, but just barely. She walked as fast as was allowed without becoming a dangerous hazard to others.

Kate had driven over from a police seminar about eighty kilometers away in Derby with the blues and twos activated on her service vehicle the entire way. That was how worried she was. After reading the message from Superintendent Hastings during the tea break, she then promptly left the seminar hall to return at record speed, heading directly towards the hospital where Steve had been taken to.

She finally caught sight of the gaffer who was conversing quietly with a doctor in surgical scrubs. DCI Howard Wilson from the Major Violent Crime Unit was also there, listening attentively to the discussion.

"Ah, Kate. There you are," Hastings said the moment he saw her.

"I came here as fast as I could, sir," she replied. "The front desk told me that Steve has just come out of his surgery. How is he?"

"He's stable now," the doctor responded. "We will take him off the ventilator the moment he comes around, but for now he's still under sedation. The stab wound was deep enough that it punctured a lung."

"Jesus Christ…" Kate briefly closed her eyes, utterly shaken. "Will he recover?"

"Given time, yes. Besides, he's young and fit. I'm sure he'll pull through." The doctor nodded. He glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry, I need to run. There's another surgery scheduled. Just to let you know, we will monitor Steve's condition like a hawk. You will be immediately informed of any changes."

Hastings shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you. Is it alright if we go and see him for a bit?"

"Sure, but as I've told you before, he's still unresponsive. Might take a couple more hours for him to regain consciousness."

"Okay. Thanks again, doctor."

After the doctor left, Kate turned to the two men and asked, "How did all this happened?"

"Like I said in my message, Kate, Steve was attacked at the carpark of his flat," Hastings said.

"Yes, sir. I got that part," she impatiently responded. "But who was his attacker? Have they caught him? Or her?"

DCI Howard Wilson took that as his cue to speak. "My team is still processing the scene. We got the link to the CCTVs in the carpark and around Steve's flat, also the ANPR cameras near the area. They are looking into them right now. So far, nothing yet."

"And I've instructed the entire AC-12 workforce to look into Steve's current and former cases, especially the major ones. We might find some clues there," said Hastings.

"But, sir, Steve's current case is about a DS submitting fake documents for the National Investigator's exam. Hardly a good enough reason to get stabbed for, does it?"

"Kate, with the lack of evidence right now, we need to use all the resources we have to determine the suspect and motive of the attack, even if we have to go through mountains of casefiles for that. You know how it goes."

"I know that, sir. But that would take too much time," Kate protested. "If we don't find the suspect soon, he or she might come after Steve again."

"Well I guess the fastest way to get all the answers is from DS Arnott himself," said DCI Wilson. "It's possible that he knows his attacker."

"Then all we can do right now is wait for Steve to wake up," Hastings ruefully added.

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

When Steve finally regained consciousness two hours later, Superintendent Hastings and DCI Wilson had left for their respective office, leaving Kate to sit alone at Steve's bedside. She instantly noticed when his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, Steve."

Weakly, he turned to look at her. He tried to say something when he realized there was a tube down his throat. Kate quickly caught his wandering hand as he made a grab for it.

"No, Steve. Leave it."

In return, Steve sent her a pleading look.

"Alright. Just relax, okay? I'll go and see if they can take you off the ventilator."

Before she could rise from her seat though, rushing footsteps were already approaching. Soon afterwards, a group of medical technicians flocked into the room. They must have been alerted by Steve's changing vital signs through a centralized monitoring system.

Kate moved out of the way to let them tend to her partner. "Hang in there, mate. I'm not going far."

As she stepped outside, she nodded at the two armed police officers standing guard at each side of the doorway. She walked further into a corner and took out her mobile phone to call the gaffer.

"Steve is awake, sir."

"Thank God," Hastings replied, highly relieved. "So how is he really?"

"They are taking him off the ventilator, so that is a good sign."

"Can he talk?"

She glanced back. From where she stood, she could hardly see the inside of the ICU. "Not sure yet. I'll let you know soon. But if Steve is not up to it, I'm not going to push him."

"I understand. He nearly bled to death, the silly wee gobshite. Gave me quite a fright!"

Kate chuckled. "How's your end, sir? Any leads?"

The gaffer sighed out loud. "It's like you said, Kate. It takes too much time and it's slow moving. We still got nothing."

"I'll continue to sit with Steve, sir. I'll see what I can do."

"Good. Carry on, Kate."

She walked back in when the medical team finished with their task. The doctor who operated on Steve smiled back at her. "He's a stubborn one, isn't he?"

Kate grinned in return. "You have seen nothing yet, Doc."

Chuckling, the doctor left after telling Kate not to overtax his patient. Reclaiming her seat by the bed, she smirked at her scowling partner. "Making yourself a difficult patient again?"

"I hate hospitals," Steve muttered, his voice raspy. Instead of a ventilator, he was now attached to a nasal canula to help with his breathing. He still looked pale and frail but there was a slight twinkle in his eyes, a sure sign that he was already on full alert.

Shaking her head, Kate released a heavy sigh. "God, Steve…When I got the message that you were attacked, I thought you were already dead."

He reached for her hand. "I'm still here, mate."

She squeezed his hand in return. "Major Violent Crime Unit is investigating your case. Even the gaffer is instructing everyone at AC-12 to scrutinize all your casefiles for any leads. Your assailant is still at large, Steve."

He swallowed hard. "I'm not surprised. Whoever attacked me is a pro."

"How do you know that?"

"He moved like one. I was caught completely off guard."

"Do you know him?"

"No. I couldn't see his face. He attacked me from behind."

"It's confirmed then. Your attacker is a male."

Steve nodded. "He's taller than me. He had to lean down to whisper in my ear."

Kate was instantly intrigued. "What did he say?"

At this, he went still. A moment later, his eyes widened in alarm. "Shit. I need to warn him."

She frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I must warn him, Kate," he urgently repeated.

"_Him_? Him who?"

"My brother."

"Shane?" Kate was understandably confused. What does Major Shane Arnott—Steve's older brother and an MI-5 agent—have anything to do with the attack?

"I don't know what Shane's current ops is, but his cover is blown. He needs to be told. _Now_."

"But what makes you think Shane's cover is blown?"

And so he explained to her what his attacker had told him. He then added, "He knows me, he knows my connection to Shane. That is highly classified information. Something has gone wrong."

She quickly took out her mobile phone. "I better tell the gaffer."

"No, Kate. Please don't!" He put out his hand to stop her, wincing from the sudden movement.

"Steve, this is a serious situation. It is also a major breakthrough for us to catch your attacker."

"We don't know exactly who we are dealing with."

"Precisely. That's why we need help from the gaffer. Major Violent Crime Unit also need to be told so they can move quicker with the investigation."

"Kate, for Shane's sake, do not tell anyone. If the wrong person finds out, Shane's entire career as a covert operative will be jeopardized. Not to mention his life. Please. I beg you on this."

As he continued to give her imploring looks, Kate's softened. "Alright. I won't tell them. For now. So what are you going to do?"

"Like I said, I need to warn him."

"You're going to give Shane a call?"

"No. Too risky. But I need my phone though."

"Your phone is kept as evidence by the Major Violent Crime Unit. They'll give you a replacement soon."

"Oh, for crying out loud…" Steve rolled his eyes. "I need a phone right now."

"Use mine then." Kate showed him her mobile phone, causing Steve to make a face.

"Jeez, I'm so slow."

"No argument there." She chuckled, passing him her phone. "Here."

She then watched in fascination as he pulled up the page for a Google mail account, signing in with a user name called 'shortlegs'.

Kate looked at him askance. "_Shortlegs?_"

"Shane's idea. Don't ask." He continued to type, but then he leaned back his head and closed his eyes with a low moan.

She worriedly stared at him. "What's wrong, mate?"

"Dizzy," was his short reply.

"You just had a surgery on a grave wound, Steve. You're not fully there yet. You need to rest."

"Shane must be warned," he stubbornly responded.

"Alright, then. I'll help." Kate took back the phone. "You're composing an email. What do you want me to write?"

"Hot potato."

Kate hesitated. "Hot potato? That's it?"

"Yes. Just type those two words. He'll get it."

"What the hell is 'hot potato'?"

"It's a code."

"Yeah, obviously. But what does it mean?"

Steve sighed. "It means, things are heating up and he needs to drop it all. It tells my brother that he must discard all covers because the mission is about to blow up in his face."

Kate was shaking her head as she typed. "Do all brothers talk in codes?"

"Maybe only the Arnotts." He shrugged. "Don't sent it. Just hit save."

"It'll be kept in draft," she remarked.

"Emails can be easily traced," Steve said. "But email draft is never sent, so metadata showing the time of transmission and IP addresses involved is never created."

"Like an electronic 'dropbox'."

"Exactly." He nodded. "Hey, you know something about it too."

"Come on, mate. I may not be IT savvy, but I'm not completely daft," she replied, amused.

Steve managed a weak grin. "There's still hope for you yet, boss. You can sign out now. Shane will see it. Hopefully."

She watched him closely as he laid back to stare at the ceiling. "Hey, what's on your mind?"

"My parents," Steve softly said, his eyes started drooping heavily. All the talking had drained him.

"Don't worry. The gaffer has informed them about the attack. Your folks will come over and see you."

His eyes widened. "No, I don't want them here."

"Steve? What—?"

"It's dangerous. Please, Kate. Call my parents back and tell them I'm fine, and I don't want them to come over. They need to immediately leave the house and go to the manor, where it's completely safe."

"_Manor_?"

"They'll understand what I'm talking about."

"Another code?" She sighed. "Okay. I'll arrange it."

"Thank you, mate. I owe you big time."

"Don't I know it," Kate said. She rearranged the sheets covering him, tucking him in more securely. "Rest now, Steve. You've done everything you can. What you need to do now is get better."

"Yes, ma'am."

As Steve drifted back to sleep, Kate continued to sit there for a while to watch over him. But she couldn't stay by his side forever. The gaffer must be climbing up the wall by now, anxious to hear her report. It was her duty to inform her superior what Steve had just told her, but maybe not the whole truth. There was one thing she needed to do first, though.

Kate stroke her partner's head comfortingly before she rose to her feet. Walking out of the room, she took out her mobile phone and began searching through her contacts. She got connected seconds later.

"Mr. Arnott? Yes, it's me. Kate. I have a message for you from Steve."

_**-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-**_

_One week later…_

Steve's attacker was never caught, but the investigation on the assault was still ongoing. During an official interview with Major Violent Crime Unit while he was still convalescing in the hospital, Steve had recounted everything that happened on that Tuesday morning. But he had left out his attacker's threatening words. He had to withhold that one major detail to keep his brother completely out of the picture.

The only thing Steve mentioned was that his attacker did say something to him, but he couldn't remember because he had been in too much pain to pay full attention. His statement had been fully accepted at face value, no more questions asked. Apart from him, only Kate knew the entire story.

For days, Kate had been debating with herself whether it was a good idea to include the gaffer in the secret. She respected Steve's wishes, and she understood the perilous situation surrounding Shane, but she was also a police officer with a line of conducts to follow through. Nevertheless, she knew that Steve himself had been keeping her biggest secret for years. To this day, no one else but Steve knew about her extra marital affairs with Richard Akers, the husband to a fellow police officer who was killed in an assassination attempt on a protected witness.

No matter what though, Kate needed to talk to her partner first before she said anything to the gaffer. That was why she drove straight to his flat right after she got off duty that day.

She noted that a team of AFOs was keeping guard at the perimeter of Steve's flat. They had been there since he was discharged from the hospital a couple days ago. Their presence gave quite a fright to Steve's neighbors but it was completely necessary for his safety as his attacker was still at large.

After she was buzzed in, Kate took the lift to Steve's floor. She had expected her partner to open the door for her, and was completely shocked to see a tall hard looking man standing there instead.

"Shane!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

He grinned back. "Hey, Kate."

"How? I mean, what…what are you doing here?" To her embarrassment, she blushed like a schoolgirl when he continued to flash his dimples at her.

"I came to visit my brother."

Kate hesitated. "Yes, of course. But…aren't you supposed to be…you know, staying under the radar? Steve's attacker is looking for you."

At this, Shane's expression darkened. He opened the door wider to let her pass. "Come on in. I'll tell you everything."

Stepping inside the flat, Kate quickly looked around. "Where's Steve?"

"In his bedroom, resting. He woke up with a fever this morning," Shane replied, closing the door before he returned to the kitchen to check on a boiling pot on the stove.

"A fever? Is it serious?" Kate was anxious to know.

Shane gave her a reassuring smile. "Just a mild one. His antibody is low in his weakened condition. Hence, the fever."

"What if it's an infection to the stab wound? Maybe we should take him back to the hospital."

"Kate, I'm an army medic trained in the field. I can take care of a sick brother. Don't worry."

"Still, I'm deeply concerned that he'll get a relapse."

"Duly noted. Why don't you go and check on him to be sure."

"Okay, I'll do that."

Kate quietly pushed open the door to Steve's bedroom. She found him lying on one side with the covers up to his chin. A cold compress made of a damp towel had been placed across his forehead. She walked closer to the bed to place the back of her hand against his cheek. It was warm, but not overly warm.

At her touch, Steve stirred awake. He looked groggily up at her. "Kate?"

"Who else did you expect, mate? A sexy nurse?" She chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint you."

He groaned. "Better you than my brother. He's a scary nurse."

Kate laughed out loud then. "Now that I'm assured you're gonna be alright, I'll leave you to your rest. I need to talk to Shane anyway."

"Okay."

Leaving Steve to sleep some more, Kate walked out and headed towards the kitchen. She took a seat at the counter to watch as Shane cooked.

"Is that dinner? What are you making?"

"Beef broth for the invalid, spicy grilled fish for the strong and hale. Boiled asparagus on the side," he replied, as he expertly flipped the fish in the pan.

"Hmmm…yummy. Hopefully there's enough for me."

He grinned in return. "For you, my dear, I'm willing to starve."

Kate blushed again, and that annoyed her.

_Damn this man and his relentless flirting_.

Clearing her throat, she seriously asked, "How did you manage to elude the armed guards downstairs? You broke in through the bedroom window again?"

"I used the front door like normal people. I told those guards I'm Steve's older brother. They rang up Steve and he vouched for me. As simple as that."

She frowned. "What, no more cloak and dagger stuff?"

"None of that. For now, at least." He then explained, "The moment I got Steve's coded message, I dropped everything and came in to HQ. About time too. In fact, I narrowly escaped an attack myself."

Shane lifted his shirt to show her the large bandage over his left hip bone. "Several more inches higher, the blade would have hit me in the heart instead and we won't be talking right now. I was lucky to escape with just a long gash and twenty stitches. Thanks to Steve's warning, I was on full alert for imminent threats."

"Holy shit…" Kate stared agog. "Was it the same attacker who stabbed your brother?"

"Yes, it was the same guy." Steve then returned his attention to the stove. He switched off the burner before he poured some of the broth into a bowl. "He had nothing to do with my current ops, but he was about to blow my cover so I had no choice but to abandon ship. The guy held grudges over my previous mission in Morocco last year. To cut it short, he's real pissed and wanted revenge. So he used my family to get to me."

"Your family, not just your brother but your parents too," Kate said. "Steve asked me to tell your parents to quickly get themselves to the manor."

"The manor is the safest place for them. They'll get total protection there."

"What exactly is the manor? A big house, I presume?"

Shane chuckled. "Yeah, a _really_ big house. It's at my mother's family estate in Exeter."

"Family estate?"

When Kate frowned back at him in confusion, he quietly asked, "Didn't Steve ever tell you?"

"About what?"

"Our mother is a granddaughter of an Earl. The previous Earl, I mean. The current Earl is her uncle, which makes me and Steve his great-nephews. The both of us are not in line for the earldom though, thank God."

Kate's mouth dropped open. "Jesus…Steve never said a damn word about it."

Now she understood where Steve got that aristocrat persona of his. All that arrogant swagger, that confident deportment. It had not been an act after all. It had been ingrained in his blood.

"My brother is like an onion," Shane proudly commented. "You need to peel layers upon layers to get to his core."

"Right. Onion. Peeling all those layers makes my eyes water."

Shane laughed out loud.

Shaking her head in wonderment, Kate brought the discussion back to the brothers' attacker. "What happened to that man? Did you manage to fight him off? Has he been caught?"

Shane gave her a grave look. "He's dead."

Kate was understandably shocked. "_Dead_? How?"

He looked directly at her and said, "I can't tell you. That is highly classified intel, DI Fleming. Need to know basis only. You and Steve are police officers, so you have obligations to tell what you know to your superiors. For this particular situation, the less you know, the better."

Kate didn't like to be kept in the dark, not one bit. But she also understood how covert operations work. "Fair enough. So what's going to happen now? What will you do?"

"I'm off the field for the time being until things died down. Stuck with desk duty." He made a face at this.

She chuckled. "Hey, Steve and I do it all the time. We survived."

He opened his mouth to make a condescending reply to that when a muffled thump suddenly came from the bedroom, followed by Steve's cursing the sky a blue streak.

Instantly worried, they both rushed over to investigate. "Steve? Are you alright?"

The younger Arnott was lying on the floor, tying to untangle his legs from the layers of blankets. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I just tripped over this stupid sheets, that's all. I need to go to the bathroom."

Stifling his laughter, Shane reached down to assist. "Need some help there, little brother?"

"I can handle it. Go away," Steve sullenly replied, slapping at Shane's hands.

"Oooh...Looks like somebody woke up from the wrong side of bed today," Shane said with a mocking grin.

"Piss off!" Grumbling, Steve began to stumble towards the bathroom.

"Hey, Stevie. When you're done, come on out and have dinner. I made you some beef broth."

"I hate broth!"

"Yeah, he loves it." Shane turned to Kate with a grin. As they both walked through the doorway together, their shoulders brushed. Their gazes met and they went absolutely still.

Slowly, Shane reached up to cup her cheek. Kate, on the other hand, couldn't stop herself from leaning closer towards him. The sound of the toilet flushing instantly broke them apart. Flustered, she rushed ahead to prepare the dining table, leaving him standing there in a daze.

When Steve emerged from the bathroom, he noticed that his brother had a peculiar smile on his face. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. What's wrong with _you_?"

"Everything. And I'm hungry. You said there's beef broth?"

"Specially made for you, little brother. Come on, let's eat."

Dinner at Steve's flat that night was a real quiet affair, even though there were three people sitting together at the dining table. He happened to look up when his partner and his older brother were throwing telling looks at each other. Puzzled, he looked between them, back and forth. His eyes widened when he finally understood.

_Oh, no no…Hell, no…_

Not that he disapprove, but Steve didn't think that romantic relationship between those two was such a good idea. He could clearly see that Shane and Kate had that kind of a chemistry. But Kate was already married, while Shane…

Well, Shane was a lot like Steve. Natural philanderers, chasing women was the Arnott brothers' favorite pastime.

That, however, didn't stop Steve from having a bit of fun. With an impish smile, he said, "Shane, that's my leg."

As one, Kate and Steve swiveled their gazes at him.

"What?" Shane frowned. "What the hell you talking about?"

Steve smiled wider. "Your foot. It's rubbing against _my_ leg, Shane. Not Kate's."

Kate gasped as Shane stuttered, "Wait, what? I wasn't…No, Kate. I didn't…it's not my—"

Steve broke up laughing until tears streamed down his face. Shane glared when he finally caught on.

"You little shit."

"You should see your face, big guy. I wish I caught it on camera," Steve gasped between laughter, holding his injured side. "Oww...I need to go back to bed and lie down. My ribs are killing me. Oww…shit, that hurts!"

"You're lucky you're already hurting, little brother," Shane fumed as Steve staggered towards his bedroom, still laughing, "Or I would beat you to a bloody pulp!"

Turning crimson in the face, Shane glanced at Kate and said, "Sorry about that. Baby brothers. Can't live with them, can't kill them. You know what it's like."

Despite it all, Kate was grinning. "I wouldn't know. I don't have any siblings."

"The only child, aren't you? Consider yourself lucky then. Baby brothers are _royal pain in the arse_!" He shouted that last bit at the direction of Steve's bedroom. His younger brother, the rascal, was heard laughing again.

After a while, it grew quiet once more. Kate was gazing intently at Shane before she asked, "Why did you tell me all those stories about Steve, about your family?"

"What makes you ask?"

"I've known him for almost eight years now, but Steve rarely tells me about his personal life until I push him. I didn't even know about you until recently. You, on the other hand is quite a storyteller, a contradiction to you being a covert operative."

Pushing away his plate, Shane met her gaze straight on and said, "Because Steve trusts you, and that makes me trust you too. But don't you ever hurt him again."

Kate was stunned to notice the hardening tone in his voice. "_Again_?"

"I know about the case of Lyndsay Denton's murder, and that Steve was accused as her killer. He didn't tell me much about it, but I got the whole picture. The interrogation nearly destroyed him, you know? I mean, how does it make you feel when the people you trust the most doesn't even believe in you?"

That brought up painful memories, some of it she was too ashamed to think of. However, Kate refused to be pinned into a corner. She leaned forward and hissed back, "I was just doing my job. I'm sorry I hurt Steve, but he knew that I was trying to find out the truth. I can't promise you that it won't happen again because I'm bound to my duty as a police officer. And so does he."

They glared at each other for several tense moments until Shane broke into smiles. "Good. That's what I want to hear."

Kate blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Steve needs someone strong and smart in his life when I am not around, and that someone is you. You're a real good friend to my brother, Kate. And I totally appreciate it. Thank you."

Kate was still in a daze when she left Steve's flat soon afterwards. The strange conversation she had with Shane had completely baffled her. Was he testing her or something?

Years onward, the case of the attack on Steve remained unsolved.

**THE END**

*** ****ABBREVIATIONS****:**

**AC - Anti Corruption**

**AFO - Authorized Firearms Officer**

**ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition**

**DCI - Detective Chief Inspector**

**DI - Detective Inspector**

**DS - Detective Sergeant**

**EMT - Emergency Medical Technician**

**.**

**Stay tuned for more LOD stories. Later, guys. **

"**I'm not an assassin." – DS Steve Arnott.**


End file.
